Our Family History
The Genealogy of the Story Family
Dorothy Vera Caroline Story
1904 - 1999?
Letter to APS from sister Vera. 1958
just after they'd moved from Bingfield
8 Gladstone Road
Mosgiel
15 November
My dear Pat
Many happy returns of 14th (yesterday). I have just read your grand long letter to Teddy, which he sent to me & i.e. will pass it on to Laila & Basil & then Ralph. I found it most interesting, and was glad to have all of that news. You left out one item though, which I have heard about here in Dunedin. This was your meeting our bishop of Dunedin, QH Johnston at Danesfort where he was staying with his cousin the Rector. I was in Dunedin on Wednesday at our annual mother's union festival and I had a word with him & he told me he met you. Daisy was in England then.
I can feel for you in your finally having to come away from Bingfield, with all its associations & history etc.
Those records that you mention I suppose were the Bishop & archdeacon Story's account books, which I wish I had the chance to pore over! They must be such interesting reading. I saw Elizabeth Story's recipe & remedy etc. book at Aunt Florie's just before I left Torquay but I was too busy to do more than just copy out a few curious old remedies such as " take the blood of an old he goat - put it then upon plates.... etc." Those old books must make fascinating reading - I wish I had the chance to see them. One of these days when I come home on the the visit that I intended to make after 10 years away - I have been 20 1/2 years here now.
Your account of going about S. England looking for a job for young Pat with house to live in was also very interesting. You seem to have finally settled in a very pleasant part of the country. I wonder how far you are from Sheila Angus - she is at Charmouth near Lyme Regis & near Bridport in Dorset. I wrote to her earlier this year about grandfather Jollie's journal. I had been asked by Dr. Robert Stout of Wellington if I would make inquiries in the family to see if the original MSS (manuscripts) could be found. He said they had reason to believe that the typed copies in existence at Turnbull Library and with memoirs of the family (I have one) were not complete, but only extracts of the original. The Turnbull Library was interested in acquiring the original & he (Dr Stout) would like a photostat copy for his collection of books, letters MSS Etc. Relating to early NZ history. I gave him addresses of some of the cousins & wrote myself to Ba (Mrs McClure in Canada) and Sheila. It turned out that Sheila had the original MSS. The outcome of negotiations is that the original MSS is coming to Turnbull Library & Dr. Stout is having his copy & Sheila is to have 2 copies also.
I had lunch with Dr. Stout in Wellington in September on my return from a holiday with young Basil visiting Ralph. Dr. Stout is the son of the late Chief Justice of N.Z. - a very nice old chap. Stamp collecting is another of his hobbies.
Young Basil & I went a way for 3 1/2 weeks in August-September. We " wagged school" 3 days at end of term & 1 week at beginning of next one to get enough time to make it worthwhile going so far. We went right up to Hamilton, doing the part from Wellington & Hamilton by NZ Road Services Bus - 8AM to 8PM. Thus we avoided the horrid night train journey and sawhe country. We had morning tea at Foxton,lunch at Taihape, afternoon tea at Turangi (Lake Taupo) and tea at Upper Atiamuri. Though I was tired I much enjoyed the journey. Harold and Frank were left at home to "bach" and to do great alterations to our hot water system. The pipes was so corroded the hot water would only trickle out. They put all the new copper pipes in also they installed a 5 gallon Zipp water heater for me under the sink bench. So now I have always 5 gallons very hot water available for sink, independent of the bath room hot water, and now we need only heat up the big supply when baths needed. 4 hours heating gives good hot water for baths. Also the position of the bath has to be changed because a space had to be partitioned off for the WC when are we can install one. The sewer was put into our road at the beginning of this year, but it is not coupled up the other end yet. So we still have the night man calling for the outside lavatory tin. It will be a boon when we get the inside WC. Well, Frank & Harold did all that plumbing etc. while Basil & I were away. B & I had 6 days with Ralph & Lillian & Richard & then 2 days in Auckland.
I went there with the express reason to meet Mrs Carnachan. She is a cousin of ours in that her grandmother was sister to our grandmother - they being both daughters of Rev. J.M. Orsmond. She wrote a book called " The Spreading Tree" about the missionaries in Tahiti - it was Cyclo-styled & sold privately among those interested (25/-) I got a copy because I find the whole story so fascinating & I also gave her a few details re the Jollie family. But she knew granny Jollie & some of the aunts that I never met. She gave me some spare photos of some of them. She is a widow now and living with a sister of hers Mrs Hutton. Mr Hutton is a fine a old man of 78 - a retired schoolteacher. I had lunch with them and such a pow-wow about Orsmonds etc. They are such nice people. Then we returned to Ralph's for another 6 days.
What an extraordinary person Lillian is! She was very good & kind to us in her own way - but oh my what a housekeeper! Then we went down by bus (same route) to Waikanae and had 6 lovely days with Bab & Ray Truebridge. They are so kind & we were so comfortable there & Basil enjoyed it. On our way to Wellington in the train often leaving the Truebridges Basil said to me " mum, you know Mr Truebridge was the best cobber I've had on this trip - better than Richard. We did a lot of good work together. I'd do more for Dad if he didn't growl so much". The "good work" was lawn mowing, hedge cutting and making a bonfire of the cuttings etc.
Then it we had 2 hectic days in Wellington. We went to the film " Round the World in 80 Days". We went to the Dominion Museum one morning & to the zoo that afternoon - Anne Truebridge took us there. Not much of a zoo in Wellington but we saw the chimpanzees' tea party. Anne was at that time temporary matron of the Wellington Convalescent Home. That night Basil went to a " rock and roll" film & I went to a delightful Irish comedy called "Rooney". Next day we had morning coffee 10.30 at D.I.C. With Mrs. Gowring-Johnston (she was a Greensill). Then lunch with Dr. Stout. That often noon we we went to the beach at Eastbourne to get away from the city streets. We crossed back to the S. Island that's night. I had to use some National Savings to do the trip, so now I have to try & fill up the hole made in them & save up to go away again before Basil is 15 & pays full fare. He will be 12 in February so I should manage it.
Frank will be 17 in January. He leaves school in about four weeks time, and expects to get a job as an apprentice in some engineering place in Dunedin in January.
We have had a most unusually dry spring - many people who only have tanks have been buying water! We are fortunate to lie on the good supply of Mosgiel Borough.
This often noon we have had a welcome a thunderstorm and good rain after it. Our road is still being fixed after the sewerage works - the curbing & channeling are being put in, so there are lakes & mud - but anyway the rain has laid the dust. We've really have a good tar sealed road, but all one side was pulled up to put the sewer in - last summer & not yet re-sealed.
We have a nice ginger cat called Freddie. He likes to get on Harold's shoulder - even when he is working at the lathe & has even been there when H was welding!
One thing in your letter I want to remark on - how I envy you for having been able to get all over the country it so easily & quickly from old Bingfield. When I was there I got to Cavan a long & bumpy & dirty ride on my push bike - very occasionally in the trap. Most of the other places you mention I never got to & never got to pictures or other entertainments anywhere round there. I'd love to have seen more of the country, & now I don't suppose I ever shall. I was reading "St. Patrick" by Oliver St. John Gogarty recently - what a pity there are such gaps in the knowledge of his story, but what a wonderful man he must have been.
Well, I'd better close, must get on to some more Christmas letters.
Harold will be 70 on the 19th (Wednesday) I have made him a nice cake. I am getting a friend to ice it as she has been attending the cake icing class at local High School. I went to the woodwork class all winter & I made a nice bookcase 4ft high & 20" wide, to fit in a special place in our room. There were 5 women, three men in our class.
Love to Daisy & young PatYour loving sisterVera North.
| Date | 1958 |
| Linked to | Arthur Patrick Story; Dorothy Vera Caroline Story |